What to expect in 2014?

2014 promises to be another year of substantial change in employment law with changes to TUPE 2006 expected in January and mandatory pre-claim Acas conciliation in April.

At a glance: what to expect in 2014

31 January 2014 - Changes to TUPE 2006 are planned to come into force, including:

The current provisions relating to service provision changes will remain. However, the activities carried on after the change must be "fundamentally or essentially the same" as those carried on before it.

The obligation to provide employee liability information will remain, within 28 rather than 14 days.

Change of location will be an ETO reason.

6 April 2014:

Discrimination questionnaires to be abolished.

Mandatory pre-claim Acas conciliation will be introduced.

Financial penalties for losing employers to be imposed by Tribunals.

Abolition of Statutory Sick Pay record-keeping in favour of giving employers the discretion to use a system which suits them.

Spring 2014:

New approach to sickness absence management to be introduced.

Expected 2014 - Regulations giving Tribunals the power to order an employer to carry out an equal pay audit.

Autumn 2015 - New tax-free childcare scheme to be introduced.Draft order to outlaw caste discrimination expected.

Expected 2015 - Introduction of new system of shared parental leave.

We shall be providing further information on each change outlined above throughout the year in our newsletters.